Filed Under:Yours Truly

According to all things Twitter, Tumblr and beyonder, Santa Barbara’s Gardens & Villa has tickled the fancy of the masses — unexpectedly, in many cases — whilst on the band’s North American tour with Foster the People. We too found ourselves under the band’s heavy spell at a recent Chicago appearance. You can say it’s coastal, new wave pop, and that would be absolutely true. I mean, we’ve said that very phrase ourselves. But it’s simultaneously ceremonial and huge-feeling. It’s joyous, but it’s weighty when you least suspect. They also have a stencil of Michael Jackson on their bass amp, and they end the whole live set with a ripping, near-Krautrock version of Gary Numan’s “Cars.”

G&V’s self-titled Secretly Canadian debut is out July 5 (Pre-order HERE or HERE). But today through release day, Yours Truly is hosting a full-stream of the record. From the opening synth pulses of “Black Hills” through the closing tribal flute ceremony of “Neon Dove,” the record is front-to-back excellence. It catwalks the exciting line between stark-pop songcraft and rain forest lushness.